Renaissance is a French-UK-Luxembourg motion-capture animation movie whose story revolves about Detective Karas' investigation to find a kidnapped young scientist working for the Avalon Corporation. It is Paris, year 2054.
Renaissance is a detective sci-fi thriller, with a visual style strongly based on classic detective comics, film-noir and German expressionist movies. The film is very artistic, with great dynamic action scenes, and superb lighting, shadowing and texturing. The atmosphere is great, as well as the music. The recreation of Paris in the future is completely believable, as the city still looks like modern Paris, but projected and transformed according to urban development and organization of the space that have futuristic verisimilitude. The emotional drawing of the characters is good, and it has depth, and the story is intriguing enough. What is more, it poses some interesting questions to the viewer: Is life meaningless without death? Is murder excusable if, by murdering someone, you save humanity from an uncertain future? If the answer is yes, who decides that the future is already written and a person is responsible for it?
Despite everything, the movie never lifts up and, despite being a thriller, it is never thrilling enough. All the characters seem lot lack human warmth, despite the story having warmth in it, and that's the result of the poor performances of the actors lending their voices to the characters, especially Daniel Craig, who destroys Karas's character with his dull lazy dubbing. On the other hand, there are too many clichés in the story, from the cigarettes to the femme-fatale/cop affair, to the evil-good approach, while the interesting philosophical questions are never truly explored with seriousness or the challenges of the near future either. Being so, the viewer finds difficult connecting with the characters, despite enjoying the animation or being intrigued about the fate of the kidnapped girl.
Renaissance is marvellous from the animation point of view, but the story struggles to grab the viewer's attention. Still has wonderful elements, and is worth watching, even if it is only for its visuals.
Perth Cultural Centre James Street
Western Australia Western Australia 6000
(08) 9228 6300
http://www.pica.org.au/
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 11am - 6pm
THREE MATTER-OF-FACT FACTS ABOUT PICA
1/ It is in the heart of the city - Open your heart!
2/ It is free - Free your spirit!
3/ It is good - My Goodness!
THREE SUPER-DUPER FACTS ABOUT PICA
1/ It is full of "exhibitionists". You know, people who stripe their souls and brains bare and display them on the wall, on the floor, from the ceiling, and so on.
2/ It is full of unusual pieces of art, on any sort of media you can imagine of.
3/ They also have art "talkalists". Those are a rare species of artsy people you rarely find elsewhere.
TEN REASONS TO VISIT the PICA
1/ You like Contemporary Art/s.
2/ You don't know what Contemporary Art is all about, but don't want to confess this to anybody, so better go and check something out: an exhibition, a show, a talk, whatever.
3/ You want to feel the magic of expanding your artistic horizons in a confined environment.
4/ You have a new somebody in your life who is artsy, and want a place to take and impress him/her without going bankrupt.
5/ You want to show the world that you are brave enough to visit a place that doesn't serve alcohol at midday and requires of your full senses to move around.That makes you officially hot! Can you handle your hotness?
6/ Did I mention the Art/s?
7/ You are leaving the country and have spare change for their gold-coin donation box. No gold? Dontawori, ozi coins are cool, too.
8/ Nobody will display a nosey attitude because you are wearing your flip-flops, micro-shorts, a stinky "unwashed" T-shirt at the gallery. They welcome the artsy-fartsy in you.
9/ You want to say hello to the lovely guys that work there.
10/ You want to get your official stamp, all over your face, as PICAchu, PICAdian or PICAmisù. Choose your adjective at pleasure, dude.
MANIFESTO
I swear I was not paid by PICA to write this oh-so-fabulous review. I do so out of pure l-o-v-e. However, one of those wonderful prints by Louisa Hansal, would be an invaluable addition to the bareness of my apartment's walls. Ahhh, day-dreaming is free, as everything at the PICA.
CURSE
If you reproduce this review without my permission, or mutate it to suit your needs without my permission, I swear to the Three Muses of the Arts that I will curse you so hard that you'll be frigid all over. You've been warned!
7/623 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9227 5551
http://www.antoniosfresh.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Fri 8:00 - 19:00
Sat-Sun 8:00 - 18:00
Antonio fresh continental store encapsulates the spirit and style of those old Southern-European traditional shops that were in vogue some decades ago. Those shops, like Antonio's, had a bit of everything in them (fresh, cooked and tinned food, a few staples, and some fancy sundry goods). Most importantly, they had something that made them part of your life: the owners and people behind the counter treated you with respect, courtesy, efficiency and, as part of the family if you were a regular. Antonio's continental store has had that since ever, despite the pass of time, and the new ways of selling food sprouting in the city in the last years.
Antonio's offers a great selection of cold meats, cheeses, preserved foods, gourmet and traditional pasta brands and pasta-related products, Italian and Spanish olive oils, wonderful oil-based antipasti, classic Italian dishes to take away, fresh rolls, precooked vegan pizzas, a great selection of packed dry fruits, chocolates, Mediterranean traditional sweets, and a few other things that are Australian-made but still very Mediterranean. They also have some Italian stuff and brands that are very sentimental for an Italian, like Felce Azzurra, Baci, Carmelina, Tilly, or the oh-so-lovable traditional coffee makers.
The prices are similar to those you find at other continental shops, therefore, a bit pricey. However, there a things that are also good-priced, like the dry fruit, or the grated Grana Padano (real Italian), to put just two examples. Nonetheless, they sell fresh good-quality products, and have prices properly displayed, so you don't get any surprise.
Although the old lady owner only goes there a few hours a week nowadays, and some of the youngsters have been leaving the place, the staff are as friendly and familiar as ever.
This shop is part of my sentimental Perth, those businesses that make of Perth home to me. And that is a lot to say.
UPDATE 28/2/2013
Antonio's will be closing down by May 2013, about two weeks after Easter.
Antonio's has been open for about 15 years, and is a favourite among the Lawleyians. Unfortunately, the planned refurbishment of the building, the no-renewal of the leases, and Antonio's family personal illness will be the end of this lovely place, which does not intend relocating or opening elsewhere.
They have such a high standards of service, that it is difficult not to feel sad at the news.
I wish this hard-working family the best. They will be certainly missed.
I am Love is a post-modern approach to the crisis of the values and ways of life of the Italian Bourgeoisie, in which the rigidity of the family structures and the family business clash against the needs and demands of the modern world at business, family and personal levels.
Emma is a Russian woman married and integrated into a traditional Northern-Italian family, who has completely hidden herself underneath her social class rituals, and built her identity indirectly, not as herself, but as wife, mother, in-law, lady of the house, and so on. Her life will change, first, when her artist daughter Betta decides to follow a path that is not the one her family expected from her, and, secondly, when she meets the much younger and shy cook Antonio.
The movie is very well acted, especially by the always convincing Tilda Swinton, who perfectly embodies frigid Emma. Tilda's Italian is limited, but her silences are very well interpreted, and she really succeeds at portraying Emma's locked personality. Also believable, and very sweet, is Flavio Parenti as her favourite son "Edo", director-turned-actor Edoardo Gabbriellini as chef Antonio, and Alba Rohrwacher as Betta. Correct in their roles are Pippo Delbono as Emma's husband Tancredi, and Marisa Berenson as the matriarch of the family Allegra Recchi. Gabriele Ferzetti is great as the rigid family patriarch Edoardo Recchi Sr., while Maria Paiato truly shines in her performance of in-servant Ida.
The film has an extremely beautiful cinematography, wardrobe, house settings, and, most importantly, an exquisite OST, without which the movie would have been less intriguing and moody. The original soundtrack by John Adams is progressive and minimalist - Nyman, Glass or Yan Thiersen's style. However, the live sound of the movie is terrible, as most Italian films. The atmosphere is decadent, has the uber-style of a decoration magazine, with its beautiful but not-lived-in sets, which complement the sense of alien perfection and inner detachment that Emma feels at home.
The film has a pace that is too slow, unnecessarily. Moreover, it has a deja-vu sort of feeling; this is expected and intentional, as we are dealing with the sort of patriarchal rich family and the visual flamboyance that you will find in Visconti's movies, although revamped and updated.
The visuals of the movie are over-curated, while the study of the main characters is, to me, under-curated. It should have been the opposite as the characters make the story. The viewer is never told why Emma the Russian needed to erase herself to fit in, how that erasure happened, and why that happened at the most intimate levels of her personality. On the other hand, the role of food in the movie is, supposedly, pivotal in the re-awakening of Emma's senses and in channelling her dissatisfaction, but the movie never succeeds at just showing that. We see that she loves cooking and food, and especially Antonio's food, but the story never goes beyond the obvious.
I found the movie completely pretentious at times, lacking in depth, over-charged with romantic stereotypes, and lack of refinement in the building of some of the characters, still well performed, beautifully cinematographed, and intriguing enough to keep you watching and enjoy it. You get the feeling that you are watching a very good movie, but the more you analyse it, the more you become aware that the style of the movie, and not its substance, is what is captivating your senses, and that you have watched the movie and don't really now who most of the main characters are beyond their social and family constrictions.
Tomorrow when the War Began is the screen adaptation of the eponymous John Marsden's young-adult book series. It tell the story of a group of Australian teenagers that after a camping weekend return home to find that the country has been invaded by a foreign Asian country.
Although the story is intriguing, the whole film is a failure from direction, to art direction, to actors direction, to actors' performances. Catlin Staisey, who plays heroin Ellie, hasn't forgotten she is acting in a movie not in her usual soap opera, and her performance oscillates from plain pathetic to barely acceptable; one wonders why she was given the role, Australian having such fine bunch of actors around. Lincoln Lewis is not of far away from his soap-opera self while playing Kevin, while Denis Akdeniz is a caricature of a character in his portrayal of Hommer, but I think that is what the script demanded from him. Rachel Hurd-Wood is lovely and believable as Corrie as well as Ashleigh Cummings as Robyn. Acceptable are Phoebe Tonkin as Fiona, Chris Pang as Lee, and Chris Lang as Andy Ryan.
It is not only the acting, is the lack of tension in the movie, the lack of sci-fi mood, and lack of an adequate music. The stunt and action scenes are very well filmed, but this is all what you can praise in the movie. It is difficult to understand why a mediocre TV film has been brought to the big screen, and why the money has been wasted in such a poor way. More embarrassing is the fact that two more sequels are still to come. One has to hope that they will be better, which is really simple. You just need a good director, a good creative team, and a good direction of your actors to bring to life and make credible a sci-fi flick.
Completely forgettable. Teens and fans of the soap-opera actors will certainly like it.
267 William St
Northbridge Western Australia 6003
(08) 92288240
Website: http://www.facebook.com/LittleWillys
Hours:
Mon-Fri 6:00 - 18:00
Sat-Sun 8:00 - 16:00
The first thing that caught my attention in Little Willy's was, no no no, I know what you are thinking... was the name. which made me think of Kar Win Wong's movie, Norah Jones and the Little Willies. I also loved the cute mini black board at the entrance with its coloured chalky info, and the bunch of paintings on the wall, a personal place for me getting lost in my I-don't-feel-like-talking-this-morning days. Then, of course is the coffee. I thought, jeez, this is a good coffee! Nobody seems to notice the cute artsy paper cups; mind the cup, mind you?! I do! It also hit me that, well, the main barista is good-looking, as well as most workers there are. Above all, it hit me hard that the place was full of women wearing their best dresses, shoes and bags, so I thought, Oh Gosh there is a party and I am wearing my working pants! Don't worry dear coffee addict, the reason of the party is usually behind the counter and I don't think he cares about what you are wearing.
The coffee is very good and tastes of coffee, which, in these days of fasta fasta, is great. Even when there is a cue, you get your coffee quite fast, so this is another points-maker with me. I have never eaten there, but, if the burritos are so good, why isn't the cook's or cooks' name/s in the LW's hall of fame?
The energy of the place has dramatically improved since the 2011's refurbishment. I felt the previous space was oppressive and unwelcoming, with the desk in the wrong angle. At present the place is more Feng-shui, as the energy flows in the right direction, the air circulates, and the place is less claustrophobic and cue-ish and more rounded and relaxed. Oh Gosh, I should be writing for Vogue Home! The new rearrangements have brought the paintings on the wall to life, so somebody else beyond the baristas (and me) can enjoy them.
Now, who goes there? Women/men wanting to have their daily dose of the good-looking baristas, sorry it is true and good for their business. People who want a good cup of coffee, this is also true. Faux-hypsters, who have decided that this place it is just for them and, therefore, anybody who does not have their pose does not belong there. Thank Gosh there are also real hypsters, workers from the nearby offices, businesses. and the cultural centre, travellers, intellectuals, artists, students, and who's not?
The service at Little Willy's varies a lot depending on the person behind the counter, and how busy the place is. I do not expect a hug, guys, but a smile, a friendly reception, and a reply to my greetings. The French girl is very nice, Qui, c'est vrai, and is the only one who has made an effort to remember my orders in the past. Some of the other girls behind the counter are nice and welcoming, smile at you, and greet you before taking your order, while some others are unwelcoming, do not greet back, and treat you as if you were interrupting their philosophical intermittent lucubrations, if there were any. The two "Willies" are quite nice but the Small Willy is usually in the kitchen, while Big Willy is burnt out from being so hot and he doesn't smile as often as his nice teeth would like to.
An XL take-away would be a great addition to the site. I mean, how come that you haven't it already, guys?! it is a favour that you are making to Humanity.
634 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 7560
Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:00 - 22:00
Fri-Sat 6:00 - 23:00
The atmosphere of the
place is relaxed. rustic style, with plenty of seats and enough place
between tables for you have a private conversation without being heard,
and with nice spots by the window if you get there in time. There are
two spaces within the café, the one facing Beaufort, which is very
luminous, expose, and very charming, and the one from the counter
indoors, which is more private and secluded, but also less luminous and
charming.
Daily Planet has a decent coffee, and, although they don't have mugs, they will happily serve you a large take-away if you want to have it with your meal. The food was tasty, although the serving of their Mex-Scrambled eggs I ordered was small and had no sides, The gluten-free chocolate mud-cake was OK and nicely-sized.
The service was great - The girls were funky, cool, easy-going, very helpful and smiley. It took me one second to order my food, and it took them a few minutes to bring it on to my table, which was great.
I hate the high counter they have, which I find unwelcoming as puts the waiters and the customers at a different level, and you feel looked down, as if you were Alice in Wonderland after eating the dwarfing cookie and looking at a giant door.
To improve the place, I would start by being more generous with their servings, get rid of those awful rugs (I get they want a rustic style, but it looks more like granny style), and close the back door!
The
Daily Planet doesn't have the vibe, style and special-something that
the bookshop to which is attached has, and I felt a bit disappointed
after visiting. Still, it is nice place if you want a central location
in Mount Lawley to have a meal, a coffee and head to the Planet shops
beside.
Not bad, but not good either.
UPDATE (1-7-2012)
I was there to grab a take-away this afternoon, and I was positively surprised at finding the layout of the place changed and improved. They have removed the high counter they had in the middle of the café and replaced it with a low one, which is now placed along the wall, so you can talk to the funky waitresses face to face, and they have more space to move around, too. The seating area and vibe of the place is much more fluid, less segmented, and the different areas seem to be better connected. I am very sensitive to the energy of the places I visit, and Daily Planet has its energy flowing at the moment. There is also a new über-cool mural on the lateral of the building. Well done, guys!
NEW UPDATE
